The Workers and the Church

This crossing of ideological wires raises a vexing set of questions: Why is it that these days, it’s considered unusual, even exotic, for small-o orthodox Christians to champion labor unions, social democracy, and the legacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Does traditional religion deserve its reputation as the upholder of existing material hierarchies, however unjust they may be? Why has that reputation come to attach itself to traditional religious communities? And how can we – I address myself to those who share my orthodoxy – shake off that reputation, as indeed we must?